Abbreviations & Definitions used to describe covers on this website

AL - Address Label. AP - Address Printed. AT - Address Typed. HW - Hand Written Address. ML - Missing Label. FDC - First Day Cover. FPO - Forces Post Office. cds - Counter or Circular Date Stamp Postmark. FDI - First Day of Issue Postmark. M/C - Wavyline Machine Cancel Postmark. H/S - Special Handstamp Postmark. M/S - Miniature Sheet. ORD - Ordinary set of Stamps (Non Phosphor). PHOS - Phosphor Set of Stamps. NVI - Non Value Indicators such as 1st & 2nd Class. DEFINITIONS Official Covers:- Are covers produced by private organisations or cover producers who at the same time sponsor a special Handstamp postmark (H/S) to accompany their cover. Counter or Circular Date Stamps (cds):- These are standard every day cancellations used at Post Office Counters. To obtain these cancellations on Covers you would now need to use Royal Mail's Special Delivery service. Prior to June 1993 you would have used Registered post to a get cds cancellation. Although some accommodating Post Offices have been known to do them by favour. Special Handstamps (H/S):- These are pictorial postmarks that are applied to the stamps to cancel them on the cover. To obtain a Special Handstamp for a new issue of stamps you have to send your cover to one of the Royal Mail's 5 Special Handstamp Centres located around the UK. First Day of Issue Postmark (FDI):- These are circular postmarks incorporating the town or city name, the date, & the words First Day of Issue. FDI postmarks were withdrawn after the 1998 Christmas issue. TPO Travelling Post Office:- These are postmark applied on Mail Trains & are relevant to all Train related stamp issues. TPO Mail Trains were retired by Royal Mail in March 2004